Clinical Debriefing in Cardiology Teams: A National Survey in Spain

Background: Clinical debriefing (CD) improves patient safety and builds team resilience.

Purpose: We describe the current use of CD by multiprofessional Spanish cardiology team members.

Methods: A self-administered survey exploring 31 items was disseminated online in October 2020. A comparison was made between respondents that who experience in CD with inexperienced respondents. Inferential analysis was done using Pearson's χ 2 test.

Results: Out of 167 valid responses, 45.5% had been completed by cardiology nurses. One-third of the respondents had experience in CD. Most common situations preceding CD were those with negative outcomes (81.8%). Time constraint was the most commonly reported barrier (76.3%); however, it was significantly less than the expectation of inexperienced respondents (92%, P < .01). Overall, only 28.2% reported self-confidence in their skills to lead a CD.

Conclusions: There is a necessity in Spanish cardiology teams to receive training in CD and embed it in their daily practice.